Posts Tagged 'This Is Ivy League'

Oh man, I’m doing it again. I thought that the new single for Cobra Starship “You Make Me Feel…” was just going to be a one time thing. Since then they released two more singles and the latest one “Feel Like Me” sounds “familiar.” It’s not the celebrity party pop punk that they’re known for and now the Top Forties dance track like the last. Instead this new track “Fool Like” is smooth and calm. A jangling acoustic guitar lingers through the song and a girl group hand clap hits the chorus. The lyrics are very teen focused and campy. But if you took away super mainstream pop production, changed the vocals up and some of the lyrics… well, it sounds like Brooklyn’s This Is Ivy League (who happens to be two members in Cobra Starship).

It’s too bad that the duo is probably beyond busy with their musical careers in Cobra Starship. Hopefully they’ll be able to come back with a new album someday in the future. But for now, although not remotely near the indie pop fun of This Is Ivy League, their contributions for Cobra Starship will shine more in the future. Perhaps it will in the band’s forth upcoming album Night Shades which will be out August 30th, 2011 via Decaydance/Fueled By Ramen.

Oh yes, there is something most “indie” bands can learn from Cobra Starship. I always found them to be one of the best bands using social media and their fans to keep their band alive through the rapid changes in the industry. After the first single with an official music video, they came out with “lyric videos” for their song “#1Nite” and “Fool Like Me.” The videos are just music videos using computer effects using text to show the lyrics of the song in a creative way. It’s something that most bands can probably do today with everyone having a MAC and getting some video editing software. You can see Cobra Starship’s second lyric video below:

So Arcade Fire recently won the Grammys’ “Album of The Year” pushing the “indies” into the forefront and having mainstream audiences wonder “who?” Well, either way their sales skyrocketed after the announcement. Hopefully the win will also push other indie artists to receive some of the limelight and increase buyer awareness that there is much more music other there than what they’ve been spoon fed for decades.

A band that was thoroughly missed due to their duties in another act (Cobra Starship) was This Is Ivy League. The Brooklyn duo had a hit with their self-titled debut that contained hits such as “The Richest Kids.” But one of their earlier recordings was a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Crown of Love” from their album Funeral. It was a somber acoustic song that recalled their influences of Simon & Garfunkel and Kings of Convenience. It was a beautiful interpretation of one of Arcade Fire’s hits.

So Arcade Fire recently won the Grammys’ “Album of The Year” pushing the “indies” into the forefront and having mainstream audiences wonder “who?” Well, either way their sales skyrocketed after the announcement. Hopefully the win will also push other indie artists to receive some of the limelight and increase buyer awareness that there is much more music other there than what they’ve been spoon fed for decades.

A band that was thoroughly missed due to their duties in another act (Cobra Starship) was This Is Ivy League. The Brooklyn duo had a hit with their self-titled debut that contained hits such as “The Richest Kids.” But one of their earlier recordings was a cover of Arcade Fire’s “Crown of Love” from their album Funeral. It was a somber acoustic song that recalled their influences of Simon & Garfunkel and Kings of Convenience. It was a beautiful interpretation of one of Arcade Fire’s hits.

Well, my boys This Is Ivy League have been written up on Pitchfork’s column “Forkast.” Mature writer Stephen M. Deusner got it right on the dot when he wrote “I assumed they were from Sweden, where this brand of sophisticated, historically-minded twee pop apparently bubbles up from underground springs.” He is completely correct. When I first heard this song myself in their actual Brooklyn apartment with spears surrounding me in their recording room, I was blown away by the harmonies that echoed relentlessly. The tinged 60’s beach sound was humming all over their Brooklyn room.

But unfortunately, someone at Pitchfork must have caught on about This Is Ivy League’s day jobs. Yes, the duo do perform in MTV tween pop punk sensations Cobra Starship. Even famous music news site Idolator caught on quickly. But it will only be the elitists that will discredit the fact that the boys having been writing and cultivating their love for pop music many years prior to the new career was attained.

So if anyone finds my personal blog here, just know that the boys are quite sincere about their love for creating modern and sophisticated AMERICAN pop music.

Well, my boys This Is Ivy League have been written up on Pitchfork’s column “Forkast.” Mature writer Stephen M. Deusner got it right on the dot when he wrote “I assumed they were from Sweden, where this brand of sophisticated, historically-minded twee pop apparently bubbles up from underground springs.” He is completely correct. When I first heard this song myself in their actual Brooklyn apartment with spears surrounding me in their recording room, I was blown away by the harmonies that echoed relentlessly. The tinged 60’s beach sound was humming all over their Brooklyn room.

But unfortunately, someone at Pitchfork must have caught on about This Is Ivy League’s day jobs. Yes, the duo do perform in MTV tween pop punk sensations Cobra Starship. Even famous music news site Idolator caught on quickly. But it will only be the elitists that will discredit the fact that the boys having been writing and cultivating their love for pop music many years prior to the new career was attained.

So if anyone finds my personal blog here, just know that the boys are quite sincere about their love for creating modern and sophisticated AMERICAN pop music.

Would it be biased of me to write about something on my own record label? Would I be able to constructively critque this with out any bias? Would it be bias of me if I were to say that This Is Ivy League’s debut full-length is going to be on of the best pop records of 2008? Regardless, I am expressing my confidence that if anyone were to here this record, they would not be able to deny that it is a solid record through and through. It is quite rare that an artist, music, band and in this case a duo produce an album where the ear doesn’t tell his finger to go “skip.”

This record has been in the making for quite some time. With a hiatus due to some career moves and hand shakes, their debut full-length and highly regarded debut EP SINGLE for that lovely tune they called “London Bridges” had some time in between. But that time did not go to waste. In that time they culminated their songs to transform them into polished and mature pop songs. Their debut doesn’t sound like some second class debut.

About

Twentyseven Views is primarily a music blog (although sometimes I will do the random post on a film or something culture or art related). All posts are genuine and honest opinions by the writer.

The writer is based in New York and has run a small indie record label, was a former publicist and has done freelance publicity. The writer has penchant taste in music that lean towards pop. Whether that be indie pop, dance music or hip-hop.

MP3s are used to help promote the artists and musicians. Please buy their art!

If you have any questions regarding any posts please feel free to contact the writer.